Just A Spoonful

"I never would have posted it under normal circumstances." The first TikTok that Ruby ever uploaded went unexpectedly viral. Swifties were enraged and intrigued by her theory that Taylor Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, wasn't about any of the pop star's ex-boyfriends - it was actually about the Modernist poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. But something else was happening in Ruby's life at the time. Her doctors had told her there was nothing else they could do for her, and that she was going to die at 29 years old. Ruby (who survived 2024 and is still here, doing great!) and I talk about the Modernists' sidelining of women, Taylor Swift's literary references, and turning to art when you're going through the very worst times. You can find Ruby on TikTok as Literary.Luddite (tiktok.com/literary.luddite). And here's the TikTok that started it all: "The Tortured Poets Department is about Ted Hughes". tiktok.com/@literary.luddite/video/7360564340019268882?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&we

How do you name a chronic illness podcast? Is improv a cult? Remember when Twitter was good? We explore all this and more important topics on this episode of Just A Spoonful. Kaitlyn's guests this episode are chronically ill cinephiles Izzie Austin and Silvi Vann-Wall, cohosts of the Pill Pop podcast (presented by the Wheeler Centre). Izzie is a PhD candidate in Cinema Studies, and Silvi is the Film Content Lead at Screenhub Australia, and we talk about what we want out of a film-going experience, why you should always watch the Fast franchise in a car, and the very surprising way that one of my guests went viral. Silvi is also an improviser at Melbourne's Improv Conspiracy, and talks about their experience of improv as a neurodivergent and chronically ill performer. Find Izzie and Silvi's chronic illness podcast Pill Pop by searching "Pill Pop Wheeler Centre" on Spotify, or go to this link: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w2Fe7etUlzTDwP7VXjbSf?si=xZWpXh9wRhGSuJfUztx0UQ Here's their profile in the Australi

JASP is back! For ME/CFS Awareness Day, Kaitlyn sits down for Just A Spoonful with disability advocate Kolt to chat about life with ME/CFS, the pressures on people with ME/CFS to seek 'cures', and the benefits and pitfalls of online chronic illness 'influencer' culture. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex, disabling disease that affects multiple systems in the body, and is classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological disorder. There are estimated to be up to 250,000 Australians with ME/CFS, and around 25% of people with the condition have Severe ME, leaving them bedbound or housebound. Emerge Australia has more information and resources. Kolt is a neurodivergent and chronically ill disability advocate whose advocacy is most focused on Energy Limiting Conditions like ME/CFS (which we both have); they seek to continually push the boundaries of non-disabled and privileged folks' understanding of disability and oppression. Kolt is queer, trans, and a white t

My guest for this episode is playwright, screenwriter, director and doctor Sharmini Kumar, and we talk a little about being settlers in Australia, and her fraught relationship with the Western literary canon. Sharmini is the founder of AustenCon, an annual one-day convention for lovers of Jane Austen, which is actually happening tomorrow if you're listening to this as it comes out! This year's AustenCon is happening on the 6 November 2021, in person at the Abbotsford Convent here in Melbourne as well as online. Link in the show notes. And I will be appearing on the 3.30pm panel 'Non-canonical pairings' where we basically get to ship Jane Austen characters with anyone we want. The panel will be streamed online and available for 48 hours after streaming! Sharmini Kumar is a friend of mine and we bonded over a mutual love of nerdy things. We nerd out a lot, especially over literature, and talk about what sparked her interest in Jane Austen and her passion for helping people of colour see themselves represented

Just A Spoonful's 2021 season continues with best-selling author, Aurealis Award winner, journalist, screenwriter and assistant film curator at the ACMI museum of screen culture: Maria Lewis! Maria is a stroke survivor (this year is actually her 10 year 'stroke-iversary') who thought they only happened to older people until she found herself in Emergency in her early 20s. We talk about the lifelong after-effects of stroke and how it changed the way her brain works, something she still navigates in her career. We also talk about Mariah Carey fandom and how it feels for Maria (no H) to see her own fans tattoo her own creations onto their bodies. Maria Lewis's seventh novel in the Supernatural Sisters series - The Rose Daughter - came out five months after we recorded this conversation so we talk about her writing that, her previous novels, and why she feels fortunate to be able to wrap up the series on her own terms. Also how good is THERAPY. SBS The Feed's short documentary on young stroke survivors: https:

Just A Spoonful is kicking off a new 2021 season with Brisbane-based musician and broadcaster Scott Mercer, a JASP fan turned JASP guest. Scott was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in his late twenties, and obviously his very first thought was 'Sweet, now I'm eligible to be on Kaitlyn's podcast' (citation needed). The frontman of Slumlawwd talks about how playing music played a part in his diagnosis, and how he's trying to fit as many gigs in as he can before it gets too hard to hold a guitar. We also talk about our experiences presenting at Brisbane's anarchic community radio station 4ZZZ, Scott's goal to interview Corinne Grant, and why Melbourne is like Valhalla (it's not a compliment). We sat down to record this chat in June 2018, making this possibly the longest I've ever taken to upload an interview to this podcast. Look, it's been a weird few years. This is actually a crossover episode with Scott's podcast Gimme Empathy (http://gimmeempathy.libsyn.com/). While Scott was touring in Melbourne in 2018 w

Robyn Lambird doesn't need your prayers, thanks! At the time of this interview, already an accomplished wheelchair athlete, public figure and the first visibly disabled adult to appear in a nationwide ad campaign in Australia, the 19-year-old is doing just fine. We chat about the amusing (and annoying) reactions people have to you when you're visibly disabled, going to stadium concerts in a wheelchair, and how things seem to be improving for people with disabilities in our lifetimes. Robyn was born with cerebral palsy and explains where the nickname "T-Rex" comes from. This is the first episode of the new season, after JASP's hiatus. This interview is one from the vault, from before I became too overwhelmed to keep doing this podcast, and I'm so glad I get to share it with you. Our chat was recorded in mid-2016, if you can even recall such a time. You can find Robyn on Instagram (@robynlambird) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/ATREXLIFE). Read more of Robyn's story in this NDIS feature: https://www.ndis.go

The binary of healthy/sick is "lazy thinking", says tech innovation writer and researcher Bhavani Esapathi. The RSA Fellow and HuffPo blogger is passionate about shifting the narrative around chronic illness from "despite" to "because of". Without her severe Crohns and arthritis/spondylitis conditions, she would not be doing the exciting work she does today. Perhaps she wouldn't have travelled to Japan to accept an innovation award. Bhavani focuses on what she can do because of her chronic lifestyle. We talk about her storytelling platform 'Chronically Driven', an arm of the Invisible Labs network that she founded. For the project, Bhavani seeks out stories from people with 'invisible' illnesses, and asks them to take an unusual view of their conditions. She explains to me why being from India actually set back her diagnosis of Crohn's when she was seeing doctors in London (her current home). It is a fascinating chat and I came away uplifted, yet with many of my assumptions about chronic illness challenged.

“You're not like, you know, a REGULAR disability.” Carly Findlay fields all kinds of ridiculous comments about her appearance and her disability, ranging from the insensitive to the abusive. Some of them have taken her all the way to the Human Rights Commission. “It was a bit weird to be the top news story for a couple of days … It wasn't a good experience.” Carly lives with Ichthyosis – a rare, severe skin condition – and is an appearance activist. She is also a writer whose work has been published by the Guardian, Daily Life, ABC, Mamamia and Frankie magazine. On her award-winning blog Tune Into Radio Carly, she writes honestly about life with Ichthyosis, disability, and visible difference. Carly talks to me about her work, but also we giggle a lot about pop music from the late 90s. If 2016 has gotten you down, Carly Findlay is a delightful guest to spend an hour in conversation with. [Note from September 2018: I've had to re-upload this episode, and since its first release two years ago Carly has onl

"My first response was really, 'This is some kind of psychotic break, I'm having a delusion right now that my dream publisher wants to offer me a book deal.' I felt like that for quite a few weeks, actually." But it was not a delusion. Anna Spargo-Ryan's debut novel The Paper House was released today by Picador Australia, and it has already gone into reprint. Back in March this year, Anna sat down for a chat with me over Skype (as neither of us leaves the house much), and talked to me about chocolate, realising your goals, and living with "the most unpleasant cat I've probably ever had." The Paper House is about a woman's relationship with her mother who has bipolar disorder, and its author has plenty of lived experience with mental illnesses. Anna lives with obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety, depression, and elements of psychosis in the mix. She tells me how "oversharing" on the internet helps her process her experiences and identity issues. We also talk a LOT ab

May 12th is the International Day of Awareness for ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome), a gravely misunderstood neurological disease. Up to 598,000 Australians live with ME/CFS, yet there is very little research funding or specialist healthcare available for them. How is such a devastating disease so overlooked? Kaitlyn Plyley investigates in this special episode of Just A Spoonful, 'May The 12th Be With You'. For anyone who ever asked, "Where's the Serial about why I'm still sick?" Show notes: http://justaspoonfulpodcast.com Become a patron of Just A Spoonful for as little as $1/month: http://patreon.com/jaspodcast Educate yourself further about ME/CFS in Australia: http://emerge.org.au

Just A Spoonful's first international guest! Jill Pantozzi is a US-based pop culture journalist and former Editor-In-Chief of The Mary Sue, known online by her moniker The Nerdy Bird. Jill talks to me ahead of her appearance at Contact2016 in Brisbane, where she is the International Fan Guest of Honour. We talk Batman V Superman, depictions of disability in the Marvel and DC universes, and what it means to have a disabled character in comics where anything - including magical cures and superpowers - is possible. Jill is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and tells me about the role the Association has played in her life since she was diagnosed with MD at the age of two. If you like Just A Spoonful, consider becoming a patron! http://patreon.com/jaspodcast Podcast artwork by Erin Michelle Art --- Released 24 March 2016 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

"It was a weird superpower." This is how Leah Musch describes obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to me, but only in certain contexts. It helped her retain an astounding amount of detail as the owner of The Happy Cabin clothing store in Brisbane. It also led indirectly to serious injury. While recuperating from her injury, Leah had an epiphany that would change her relationship to fashion. She sold The Happy Cabin, and then everything changed. The host of web series The Unmaterial Girl talks to me about slow fashion, OCD guilt, and learning sustainable business methods in Brazil's 'favelas'. Portrait of Leah Musch by Erin Michelle for Just A Spoonful. --- Released 28 February 2016 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

"If you think we're brave, ask yourself why we have to be brave." My guest this episode is Miranda Sparks - comedian, radio personality, transgender advocate, and author of the superhero web serial Shimmerverse. Miranda talks to me about growing up as a tomboy trans girl, why "show, don't tell" is problematic for a writer with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and accessibility in highbrow literature. We also talk about comic book movies, how to avoid ableist slang, and Miranda's surprising revelation of how she would handle a zombie apocalypse. Portrait of Miranda Sparks by Erin Michelle for Just A Spoonful. --- Released 24 December 2015 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

Priscilla Sutton is a right leg amputee, but in 2010 she found she had too many legs. Obsolete prosthetic legs, cluttering up her storage spaces. So, she came up with a unique way of honouring her pre-loved appendages. Priscilla is the founder of Spare Parts, an initiative that united pre-owned prosthetic limbs with artists and exhibited the result. (Also, my first guest to have been once nominated for Australian of the Year!) Priscilla tells me about how she became "the crazy leg lady," touring her exhibition to London for the Paralympics, and where her passion for recycling is taking her next. --- Released 27 October 2015 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

"I couldn't get comfortable and was like, something's not right." Amy Dallas, founder and CEO of Brisbane fashion label Chronic Youth, has been living with chronic pain for seven years. She talks about the difficulty in getting a diagnosis, how living with her condition has made her question our culture of always being busy, and the creativity with which she has overcome challenges. For instance, she wanted to be a fashion designer, but once she got to Tafe, her pain prevented her from being able to stoop over sewing assignments. So, Amy has found an innovative way of getting her fashion designs out there. Now she's found work that she is passionate about and happy to spend her spoons on. We also talk fashion, living out of home, and why jeggings are a feminist issue (I insist that they are). --- Released 30 April 2015 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

Thousands of people read Thomas Violence's tweets every day - funny, cutting, and sometimes a live feed into the hectic mind of someone with rapid-cycling Bipolar Type 1 Disorder. The man behind the Twitter account is Benjamin McLeay: web developer by day, member of Brisbane bands The Keepaways and Dogbauu by night, and tweeting at all times. We talk about making plans when you can't plan your moods, ideal jobs, and how depressive periods would be luxurious and restful if only you weren't depressed. Ben (or, Thomas?) tells me how Twitter has helped him find people who understand his bipolar, and how live gigs suit mania. Also: hot takes on The Interview, Lost, the Japanese flag, and other assorted nonsense. If you've never understood Twitter, this episode may help you out. --- Released 29 January 2015 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

"Mania is seductive." Mike Day is the drummer for Brisbane band Mega Ogre, as well as the winner of the SLQ Young Writer Award 2014. He lives with Bipolar Type 2 Disorder and anxiety, and also a cat. Mike tells me about losing friends during manic stages, writing tips, Paddington Dads(TM), and why he wouldn't get rid of Bipolar. We also talk about weird movies you watch during insomnia, holding on to your personality amid your illness, and what Hobbits actually do. I mean, what do they do? Does Bilbo have a job? Featuring music by Mega Ogre: 'Hikikomori'. If you have iTunes, you can subscribe and a new episode will hit your account every two weeks: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/just-a-spoonful/id92786969?mt=2 --- Released 6 November 2014 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

Recorded at the 2014 National Young Writers Festival. My guest this episode is writer, editor, Creative Producer of Express Media and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome haver, Lefa Singleton Norton. We push through our festival brain fog to talk women in comedy, why there's no shame in watching Midsomer Murders, explaining your illness to your boss, and fading out of your own life. Lefa tells me how she got started in the creative industries, and how she had to drastically change her career when Chronic Fatigue Syndrome hit. --- Released 23 October 2014 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname

Is The Truman Show real? We go deep. My guest this episode is Brisbane writer Samuel Maguire, whose work has been published in Stilts, The Lifted Brow, and Scum Mag. Sam is living with Bipolar Type 1 Disorder and an anxiety disorder and uses The Lord of The Rings instead of sleep medication. We talk psychotic breaks, The Hunger Games, why Michelle Law is great, and mums reading your sad blog posts. --- Released 9 October 2014 If you would like to support this podcast, check out patreon.com/blythebyname